Modelling Nigerian Female Mortality: An Application of Four Stochastic Mortality Models

Nigeria, with an estimated population of over 200 million people is depicted as the most populous black Nation in the World with the female gender constituting about 49.4% of its total Population. However, from infanthood to adulthood, the female folk in Nigeria is faced with challenges; from low-socio cultural values to poor socio-economic growth and a frail health care system. In the midst of the afore-mentioned challenges, survival for her is not a priviledge but a fight. With the aid of four stochastic mortality models and mortality data obtained from the Global Health Observatory, this study assesses the peculiarities surrounding the Nigerian age-specific female mortality data. It also illustrates the potentiality of the Gamma-Normal version of the Lee-Carter model over three existing variants of the Lee and Carter (J Am Stat Assoc 87(419):659–671) model.